Iron consistency

[keller19xc]

How do I get more consistent contact with my irons? I hit 1/3 shots pure contact What are some things you do?

[tmf9]

With an iron i make sure my hands are in front of the club at impact to ensure a descending blow, come from the inside on the downswing, and try to return my hands to the same spot at impact as they were at the start of the swing

[keller19xc]

Thanks for the response! Is there any drills you do to help muscle memory?

[tmf9]

  keller19xc said:

Originally Posted by keller19xc

Thanks for the response! Is there any drills you do to help muscle memory?

Honestly, I'm not that big into drills.  I'm sure they are some you could look up online and they are very helpful to a lot of golfers but I've found that swing repition on the range helps me most.

[keller19xc]

Do you take slower shots, just gettin the rythem?

[tmf9]

I wouldn't reccomend "slower" as that can effect swing speed.  Maybe try half swings to get the feel down at first, and then gradually lengthen your swing.  But this is all just me, I certainly don't have a "normal" way of viewing how the golf swing works, Im pretty much self taught and a complete feel player.

[MS256]

  keller19xc said:

Originally Posted by keller19xc

How do I get more consistent contact with my irons? I hit 1/3 shots pure contact

What are some things you do?

Not enough info. Not hitting 2/3 of your iron shots with "pure contact" could mean many, many, many things.

If you put a video on the "Members Swings" page and went into some detail about your misses you would have a better chance of getting some answers that fit.

You might still have to weed through some answers that don't fit but maybe not too many.

[KrazyTrain18]

I make sure to keep my hands slightly ahead of the ball at address and to have a more compact swing.  Also make sure your not playing the ball too far forward in your stance.

[jetsknicks1]

  KrazyTrain18 said:

Originally Posted by KrazyTrain18

I make sure to keep my hands slightly ahead of the ball at address and to have a more compact swing.  Also make sure your not playing the ball too far forward in your stance.

I recently finished a series of lessons and this is exactly what I'm working on. Most of my misses are balls that balloon to the right so I've really been trying to shorten my backswing and concentrate on keeping my hands ahead of the ball in an effort to square the club face. Sad to say that the results so far, have been hit & miss.

[keller19xc]

For my nine iron I play the ball a touch back of middle, good shaft lean, I transfer my weight on the downswing but then I start lifting my chest up and falling back causing fat and thin shots. Any drills to help with the falling back problem?

[ayysolapsu09]

I've been playing around with something that I heard Nick Price does (confirm or deny if you people could, I'd appreciate knowing the source).

I noticed that whenever I take the club on it's backswing, before I get to the top I can feel the pressure on my right foot roll to my outer right foot.  I know that it's supposed to stay in between both insteps, and I notice that I am much more stable when that happens.  To temper that, I kick my right knee in a little bit, so that when I look down my right kneecap is inside of my right instep.  I then slowly go to 3/4 backswing, and try to get the feeling as if my left shoulder, right knee, and right foot/toes are all in a diagonal line with one another.

I do that a few times slowly, and then I speed it up to about 80%.  What it feels like during the swing is that I push a portion of my pressure towards the left side with the forward press, and while this is happening my head is much more stable (since I'm not swaying).  I have only tried it out at the range once so far (too damn cold to do any more at this time of year), but even then my swing feels both more powerful and more consistent.

Again, if there is a real source to this idea, let me know, I don't want to take credit for something that already exists.

[keller19xc]

I'm working on something similar, just before the top of my swing I make sure I feel the weight transfer so when I reach the top I'm in good position. I'm trying to exaggerate it to make it natural later in the season

[tmf9]

Read a Butch Harmon drill today in golf digest where he said start with the iron above ground, instead of grounding the club (maybe 4 inches or so) and then swing and hit the ball, as this forces you to hit the ball with a desending blow or you'll completely wiff it...maybe this drill can help you.

[keller19xc]

Cool thanks ill give that a try too

[WUTiger]

  tmf9 said:

Originally Posted by tmf9

Read a Butch Harmon drill today in golf digest where he said start with the iron above ground, instead of grounding the club (maybe 4 inches or so) and then swing and hit the ball, as this forces you to hit the ball with a desending blow or you'll completely wiff it...maybe this drill can help you.

This corresponds to Jack Nicklaus advocating hovering vs. grounded address. If you have the clubhead off the ground at address, you are fully supporting it with your hands. Among supposed benefits:

• Less tension in your hands at address
• Less chance you will catch the clubhead on turf during takeaway

(This is covered in Golf My Way ; but, I don't have a copy right here)

[460CompMark]

it's all about repetitions.  balance is also a key factor.  work on keeping your swing plane the same and steady balance on your feet.  play with ball position according to your swing.  i like mine a little back of middle.  i seem to hit it solid more consistently.

[Chas]

Agree with ^^^^^^^ I'm working on placing the ball a bit further back in my stance with mid-to-long irons to hit a bit more down on the ball. I still hit too many of them fat or thin. Looking for a lower, more penetrating ball flight. ayysol .... a bit of right knee "kick in" is a good idea IMHO. You don't want to let your weight shift to the outside of your right foot at the top because that will inhibit proper weight shift as you start down.

[keller19xc]

Just read in my golf digest magazine and pretend you have a flashlight on your chest and you want to shine the light on the ball at impact, falling back would be shining the light in front of it, Good thought